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House of Auromere
The House of Auromere is a noble family of the Kingdom of Stormwind, currently holding the title of Baron of Redgold and, less formally, overlord of Ashfall by decree of King Anduin Wrynn. Previously, the house hailed from northern Lordaeron, close by the border of Quel'Thalas. Until the fall of the kingdom, the patriarch of the family held the antique title of "Earl of Northlight Vigil". The family was unseated due to the Third War, and the patriarch went missing. History In the years when the Arathorian Empire began to fracture, many nobles and peasants made their way north to settle in the region now known as Lordaeron. Among those were a group of people led by a rather grouchy and stubborn knight known only by the name of Bern. Bern was not tall, not dark, and only considered handsome by some, but his staunchly chivalrous attitudes and principles of self-reliance attracted a following. Bern led his family and followers far, far north, until they crossed the border into the Kingdom of Quel'Thalas. There, according to legend, they were intercepted by high-elven rangers, and told to turn back. Bern asked the rangers where precisely the border was--and when they made the mistake of identifying it exactly, he built a tower within arrowshot of it. The lands settled by Bern and his followers were far enough north that, during the winter months, the Northern Lights appeared in the sky, so the tower and its surrounds were named Northlight Vigil. Bern himself took a name in the old tongue that reflected this: Auro-'', for the aurora borealis, and ''-mere, an ancient word meaning "watchtower". The people of Northlight looked after themselves, soon gaining the grudging respect of their high-elven neighbors. This era of absolute independence went on even as the rest of Lordaeron unified into a single monarchy. Emissaries of the new king arrived with the expectation that Northlight would fall in line with the others, only to be surprised that the Auromeres were uninterested in what a unified kingdom had to offer, having provided for themselves for so long. As threats flew, the king's men discovered the good relations Northlight had with the high elves, and became concerned that attempting to annex Northlight by main force would risk the ire of Quel'Thalas. As a result, they negotiated a treaty with the Auromeres. Among the provisions of this treaty was that Northlight Vigil remained an earldom, rather than becoming a march, and its boundaries could never be altered except by an Auromere. The Auromeres continue in an unbroken line to this day, though they were unseated and their title made extinct by the destruction of Lordaeron in the Third War. Jeremaias, the only known survivor, was elevated to the peerage of Stormwind, and is currently Baron "in-chief" of Redgold and any other lands he manages to reclaim for the kingdom. Holdings (Stormwind) The County of Redgold is located in the long-abandoned Duchy of Ashfall, which lies to the east of the Redridge Mountains and the Burning Steppes. It is essentially the southwestern quarter of the duchy. In less than a year, Auromere and his forces have secured a third of the duchy, claimed a mithril mine, routed a pirate outpost, and successfully rebuilt most of the city of Bel Lonn. To secure not only this, but other counties of the duchy, Jeremaias has established the Order of Ashfall as part of his forces. Holdings (Lordaeron) Northlight Vigil lay against the border with Quel'Thalas. Its lands were extensive, although its borders shifted occasionally during disputes with the neighboring high elves. The region is mountainous, often cold, and rather unforgiving, but they were unwilling to trade or surrender their lands in favor of something more temperate. As a result, the Auromeres have, as a family, a reputation for being almost insanely stubborn. Due to the peculiar difficulties of agriculture, Northlight Vigil had to breed hardier and more specialized crops, and as a result, developed a number of unique strains of grain and fruit. Blueberries were the most notable of these specialty breeds, smaller than average berries but far sweeter and less fibrous than their southern cousins. These special breeds have, for the most part, been lost due to the spread of the Plague of Undeath. Politics Lordaeron The Auromere family, with few exceptions, was known in the court of Lordaeron for being rather isolationist. The scions of the family were typically reared to view themselves as the protectors of the people of Northlight Vigil, and as a result, viewed with skepticism any potential threat. They often regarded even their own countrymen as "threats" to Northlight, and were notorious naysayers in the Court at Lordaeron City, particularly on matters of taxation and conscription--when they cared to appear, which was seldom. As a result, they tended to attract a great deal of hatred from their political opponents. The Auromere family tended to work the land alongside their vassals and peasants--and occasionally selected brides from said groups--and other noble families sometimes viewed them as little better than common stock themselves. But it is conjectured that this practice resulted in a tighter bond between noble and commoner, so that many of the abuses that went on in other parts of Lordaeron were almost unheard of in Northlight Vigil. It was often rumored that the Auromeres, and the other people of Northlight Vigil, were secretly worshipers not of the Holy Light, but of some heathen god from before the establishment of the Church. This has never been completely substantiated. Famously, Earl Jonas Auromere opposed the taxation of Lordaeron peasants to fund the reconstruction of Stormwind, and proposed that the orcs be shipped to Northrend to create their own colony rather than interned. Stormwind Baron Jeremaias Auromere brings the best of his family's politics. Very much a ''laissez-faire ''governor, he operates by a simple philosophy: "Earn your keep, and keep what you earn." He encourages private enterprise, and, consistent with the parallel philosophy of the Wrynn Dynasty, works and fights alongside those he considers "his people". It is not unusual to find him doing manual labor with commoners when another pair of hands is needed. It is rumored that he knows most of the residents of Bel Lonn by name. Lord Jeremaias supports a robust and upwardly-mobile middle class, limited taxation and limited government, and promotes technological advancement and exploration. He is the primary patron of the Ashfall Academy of Lapidary Science in Bel Lonn. Auromere Category:Houses, Clans and Tribes